Electrical bridge networks and circuits including said networks



Aug. 17, 1965 SIGNAL Sol/RC5 OF CARR/ER SIGNAL -O. S. MEIXELL ELECTRICAL BRIDGE NETWORKS AND CIRCUITS INCLUDING SAID NETWORKS Filed Jan. 3, 1961 OF 6/45 SIG/VAL I SOURCE OF S/qA/AL SOURCE OF VAR A 7/O/V MEANS INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent The present invention relates to electrical bridge circuits, and more particularly to a highly voltage sensitive reactance-bridge network.

In the past, many impedance-bridge configurations have 3,2dl,678 Patented Aug. 1?, 1955 tions 8 and 9 (E is zero. If the capacitance (C) of any one capacitor (e.g. capacitor 4) were varied by a small amount AC, the bridge network would become unbalanced by a factor The effect of the bridge-network unbalance requires an analytical investigation of the bridge circuit of FIG. 1. It is well known that the expression for the unbalance current through the center or detector arm of any bridge circuit, which also applies to that shown in FIG. 1, is as follows:

( i rz sY been devised, usually for the express purpose of measuring inductors, capacitors, and their effective resistance components. Such measurements are usually performed at power, audio, carrier, or radio frequencies. Almost invariably, these bridge circuits have one or more of the four bridge-network arms in the form of resistances. This results in inherently low voltage sensitivity, which is of no particular adverse consequence in impedancebridge measuring applications. In fact, in many instances, conventional bridge structures are designed to operate over wide bands of frequencies, and the use of wholly reactive bridge-network arms would defeat the intended purposes. If, however, a highly voltage sensitive bridge arrangement were available, it would be possible to utilize such circuits to detect and evaluate capacitance and inductance changes, and also as more efiicient modulators, discriminators, frequency multipliers, and for other diverse functions.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved electrical bridge circuit having relatively high voltage sensitivity, and adaptable for use in a wide range of applications.

The present invention provides a bridge network wherein each of the four bridge arms includes a relatively high- Q reactance element of the same sign (either inductive or capacitive) and wherein conjugate reactance elements are provided in both the generator and detector arms.

The present invention is explained with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a bridge circuit following the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another (or inverse) embodiment of a bridge circuit following the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the present invention functioning as a modulator; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention functioning as a modulator.

Referring to FIG. 1, a bridge circuit is shown, having four bridge arms each containing equal-valued capacitors 1, 2, 3, and 4 having negligible dissipation, i.e., extremely high Q values. A first inductance coil 5 is coupled in the detector arm of the bridge network between junctions 8 and 9, and a second inductance coil 6 is coupled in series, between input junctions 10 and 11, with a source 7 of alternating signal E at a frequency f The capacitance of the four capacitors 1, 2, 3, and 4 and the inductance of coils 5 and 6 are selected to provide a resonant circuit condition at frequency f With capacitors 1, 2, 3, and 4 having equal values, the bridge network will be balanced, and the potential across juncand neglecting relative to i Q 12 which can be expressed as:

z 1 lEB,QI= 4- "E T-Z I 1 and for small values of e i 2 l s,9i= "E It is to be noted that the voltage sensitivity of the bridge circuit, due to the exclusive use of conjugate reactances, becomes a function of the square of the Q value of the coils. Since high-quality coils are presently, available, with practical Q values as high as 200, or more, the abovedescribed bridge circuit exhibits voltage sensitivities heretofore unobtainable with existing bridge circuits employing one or more resistances in the bridge-network arms. For example, a one-percent unbalance (5:.01) in the above-described bridge circuit having coils with a Q value of 100 will'produce an unbalance voltage approximately 25 times the value of the impressed voltage. This is of the order of 10,000 (or more) times higher than obtained by conventional impedance-bridge circuits.

Referring to FIG. 2, a bridge circuit is shown, in accordance with the present invention, having inductance coils 12, 13, 14, and 15 connected to form a bridge network with a capacitor 16 connected in the detector arm between junctions 1% and 19 and a second capacitor 17 connected in series between junction 20 and a source 7 of alternating signal B at a frequency f Like FIG. 1, in the bridge circuit of FIG. 2 the capacitance is the matched conjugate of the inductance and is designed to be resonant at f Expression 11 holds true for the circuit of FIG. 2 as well as for the circuit of FIG. 1, representing the unbalance voltage between junctions 18 and 19.

Many practical applications of the present invention will exploit the high voltage sensitivity that is available. Referring to FIG. 3, an illustration of the present invention is shown employed as a modulator. The modulation is parametric in the sense that variations in capacitance are converted into carrier sidebands with but little I expenditure of signal energy. Arvoltage-variable capacitor 22, such as a Varicap or otherparametricdiode, is coupled in a capacitive bridge arrangement with capacitors 23, 24, and 25. The capacitance of variable capacitor 22 will be referred to as C and its quiescent value as C Fixed capacitances 23, 24 and 25 have values of C The total circuit capacitance-then being determined, inductance coils 26 and 2'7 are selected to provide a; circuit inductance which will renderthe circuit resonant at frequency f the frequency of the alternating carrier signal E from source 28.

Source 29 of signal voltage 13,, preferably having little or negligible internal impedance, is coupled to capacitor 22. The capacitance of voltage-variable capacitor 22'will vary in accordance with variations, in signal voltage E from source 29. In order to maintain capacitor 22 in a range most suitable for low-loss and linear operation, a

source 31 of bias voltage E is coupled to capacitor 22. Thus, the fractional change of capacitance (AC/C caused by a sinusoidal signal voltage E sin co t will also be sinusoidal.

From Equation 11, the output voltage between junctions 32 and 33 is: E32 33=AE (12) On an instantaneous basis and for sinusoidal E and E ea2,s3=A(e in w t) (e sin w t) (16) or:

sz,as= Ecmaxe Sin amid-m"- 99S i t) cos (woHkwst) 1 wherein the first expression is the carrier, the second expression is the lower sideband, and the third expression is the upper sideband. From expression 17, it follows that the moduation index in equals e It is seen that if there is no initial bridge network unbalance, that is 6 0, the first expression in Equation 17 does not appear and the modulation is of the suppressedcarrier type.

When there is an unbalance voltage of such magnitude that e e there is amplitude modulation and m=e If cvmax i equal to s there is 100% modulation and 112:1.

If there is no initial unbalance (e,,=0) and the frequency of source 28 is made equal to the frequency of source 29; that is, w w then Equation 17 is written:

I vinnx emax e32,a3= COS (201 i) (18) and the circuit of FIG. 3 can be used as a frequency doubler. Likewise, when 6 0 and f if =f the circuit can be used for frequency conversion.

It is to be noted that, in Equation 17, each expression isa multiple of which means that, in each of the above-discussed applications, a high degree of voltage sensitivity and amplification is obtained by the conjugat'e-reactance feature of the present invention.

The output signal from the bridge circuit is obtained from inductor 26 by means of secondary coil 36. The coupling from coil 26 to coil 36 should be selected so as to modify the initial inductance of coil 26 as little as possible from its unloaded value so the conjugate match will a .tions for the capacitive and inductive elements illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, an inverse version of the circuit of FIG. 3 is shown, following the principles of the present invention. A variable inductance coil 40 is coupled in bridge arrangement with fixed inductance coils 41, 42, and 43. Variable inductance coil 40 has a quiescent value vo: and fixed inductance coils should have values of L A first capacitor 44 is coupled in the bridge detector arm between junctions i5 and 46, and a second capacitor 47 is coupled in series with a source of alternating carrier signal 28 between junctions 48 and 49. Source of alternating carrier signal 28 is similar to that shown in FIG. 3, being a balanced-output generator providing a carrier signal IE at .a frequency f The values of capacitors 44 and 47 are selected to provide circuit resonance at frequency f A variation means 50 is coupled to variable inductance coil 40 to provide variations in inductance. Variable inductance coil 4i) may be mechanically variable, and source 50 may be then mechanically coupled thereto, or coil 40 may be voltage variable, and source 59 may be an inductance-varying reactance tube with a variable signal coupled thereto. Variations in inductanc of coil 40 provide modulations of the signal of source 28 in a manner described in FIG. 3, with the modulated signal from source 28 appearing as an output signal at junction 45. In like manner, the circuit of FIG. 4 may also function as a frequency doubler and frequency converter according to the analysis set forth for the circuit of FIG. 3.

From the discussion hereinabove, it is seen that a highly voltage sensitive bridge has been developed based on the use of conjugate reactances resonant at a given operating frequency. The invention may be employed for modulation, frequency doubling, frequency conversion and other related uses where a highly sensitive network is required. It can also be used to detect and evaluate capacitance and inductance changes irrespective of whether these changes are effected by electrical or mechanical means.

While I have described the principles of my invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of my invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1.- A bridge circuit comprising:

a bridge network having a given voltage sensitivity consisting of la first terminal,

.a second terminal,

a first circuit connected between said first and second terminals consisting of first and second reactance means connected in series relationship with respect to each other, each of said first and second reactance means having a given sign and a given reactanc magnitude at a predetermined frequency, and

a second circuit connected between said first and second terminals consisting of third and fourth reactance means connected in series relationship with respect to each other, each of said third and fourth reactance means having said given sign and said given reactance magnitude at said predetermined frequency; and

means to substantially increase said given sensitivity of said bridge network consisting of a third circuit connected between the junction of said first and second reactance means and the junction of said third and fourth reactance means consisting of a first conjugate reactance means having a sign opposite to said given sign and a reactance magnitude equal to said given reactance magnitude at said predetermined frequency, and

a fourth circuit connected between said first and second terminals consisting of a source of signals and a second conjugate reactance means connected in series relationship with respect to each other, the signal of said source of signal having a frequency equal to said predetermined frequency, and said second conjugate reactance means having .a sign opposite to said given sign and a reactance magnitude equal to said given reactance magnitude at said predetermined frequency.

2. A bridge circuit according to claim 1, wherein said first, second, third, and fourth reactance means each consist of a capacitor and said first and second conjugate reactance means each consist of an inductor.

3. A bridge circuit according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said capacitors is a variable capacitor.

4. A bridge circuit according to claim 1, wherein said first, second, third, and fourth reactance means each consist of an inductor and said first and second conjugate reactance means each consist of a capacitor.

5. A bridge circuit according to claim 4, wherein at least one of said inductors is a variable inductor.

6. A bridge modulator circuit comprising:

a bridge network having a given voltage sensitivity consisting of a first terminal;

a second terminal,

a first circuit connected between said first and second terminals consisting of first and second fixed reactance means connected in series relationship with respect to each other, each of said first and second reactance means having a given sign and a given reactance magnitude at a predetermined frequency, and

a second circuit connected between said first and second terminals consisting of a third fixed reactance means and a variable reactance means connected in series relationship with respect to each other, each of said third fixed reactance means and said variable reactance means having a sign equal to said given sign, and the reactance magnitude of said third fixed reactance means and the quiescent reactance magnitude of said variable reactance means each being equal to said given reactance magnitude at said predetermined frequency;

means to substantially increase said given sensitivity of said bridge network consisting of a third circuit connected between the junction of said first and second fixed reactance means and the junction of said third fixed reactance means and said variable'reactance means consisting of a first conjugate reactance means having a sign opposite said given sign and a reactance magnitude equal to said given reactance magnitude at said predetermined frequency, and

a fourth circuit connected between said first and second terminals consisting of a source of carrier signals and a second conjugate reactance means connected in series relationship with respect to each other, said carrier signal having a frequency equal to said predetermined frequency, and said second conjugate reactance means having a sign opposite said given sign and a reactance magnitude equal to said given reactance magnitude at said predetermined frequency;

means coupled to said first conjugate reactance means to derive an output signal therefrom; and

means coupled to said variable reactance means to vary the reactance thereof to modulate said carrier signal, said resultant modulated signal being said output signal.

'7. A bridge modulator circuit according to claim 6, said first and fourth terminals having a reactance wherein said first, second, and third fixed reactance means magnitude equal to said given reactance magniand said Variable reactance means each consist of a Ca tude at said predetermined frequency, and pacitor and said first and second conjugate reactance means a first circuit connected directly between said third each consist of an inductor. and fourth terminals consisting of a voltage vari- 8. A bridge modulator circuit according to claim 6, able capacitor and a source of signal voltage wherein said first, second, and'third fixed reactance means connected in series relationship with respect to and said variable reactance means each consist of an ineach other, the quiescent reactance magnitude ductor and said first and second conjugate reactance means of said variable capacitor being equal to said each consist of a capacitor. 10 given reactance magnitude at said predetermined 9. A bridge modulator circuit comprising: 7 frequency, and said signal voltage having a frea bridge network having a given voltage sensitivity conquency equal to said predetermined frequency;

'sisting of means to substantially increase said given sensitivity of a first terminal, said bridge network consisting of t a second terminal, a first inductor connected directly between said a third terminal, a fourth terminal,

' a first fixed capacitor connected directly between said first and second terminals having a given a third fixed capacitor connected directly between said first and fourth terminals having a reactance second and fourth terminals having a reactance magnitude equal to said given reactance magnitude at said predetermined frequency, and

a second circut connected directly between said reactance magnitude at a predetermined fre- 20 first and third terminals consisting of a source quency, of carrier signal and a second inductor cona second fixed capacitor connected dire tly b tw n nected in series relationship with respect to each said second and third terminals having a reother, said carrier signal having a frequency actance magnitude equal to said given reactance equal t Said PYBdett/Tm'ined q y, and Said magnitude at aid predetermined frequen y, second inductor having a reactance magnitude equal to said given reactance magnitude at said predetermined frequency; and

an output'circuit electromagnetically coupled to said first inductor to derive an output signal therefrom magnitude equal to said given reactance magnitude at said predetermined frequency, and

a first circuit connected directly between said third and fourth terminal consisting of a voltage vari able capacitor and a source of signal voltage connected in series relationship with respect to each other, the quiescent reactance magnitude of said variable capacitor being equal to said given re- 3 actance magnitude at said predetermined frefrequency, said output signal being produced by said signal voltage varying the capacitance of said variable capacitor.

11. A frequency-converter bridge circuit comprising:

a bridge network having a given voltage sensitivity consisting of having a frequency two times said predetermined quency; means to substantially increase said given sensitivity of said bridge network consisting of a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal,

a first inductor connected directly between said 40 a fOufth terminal,

second and fourth terminals having a reactance a first fixed Capacitor connficted directly between magnitude equal to said given reactance magnisaid first and second terminals having a given tude at said predetermined frequency, and reactance magnitude at a predetermined frea second circuit connected directly between said quency,

first and third terminals consisting of a source of a Second fixed Capacitor connficted directly carrier signal and a second inductor connected tween Said sticond and third tfminals having a in series relationship with respect to each other, madame magnitude equal to Said given ,Said m Signal having a frequency equal to actance magnitude at said predetermined fresaid predetermined frequency, and said second q y, inductor having a reactance magnitude equal to a third fixed capacitor connected directly between said given reactance magnitude at said prede- Said first and fnufth terminals havingra termined frequency; and actance magnitude equal to said given reactance an output circuit electromagnetically coupled to said magnitude at Said Pmdflterminfid q y, and fi t inductor to derive an output signal thergfmm a first circuit connected directly between said third produced by the modulation of said carrier signal by i and fourth terminals insisting Of a 191mg6 isaid signal voltage, said modulation of said carrier able capaciwl and Source Of Signal Voltage Signal being accomplished by said Signal Voltage Vary connected in series relationship with respect to ing the capacitance of said variable capacitor. each other, the quiiscent madame magnitude lit. A frequency-doubling bridge circuit comprising: Said Variable Capacitor being equal to Said a bridge network having a given voltage sensitivity conglvfin actance magnitude at Said predetermined sisting of frequency, and said signal voltage having a frea first terminal, quency equal to a second frequency; a sacond tgrminal means to substantially increase said given sensitivity of a third tsrminal said bridge network consisting of a fQm-th terminal, 7 a first inductor connected directly between said a first fixed capacitor connected directly between Second and fmmh terminals having a leactance said first and second terminals having a given gn tude equal to said given lsaciance g ireactance magnitude at a predetermined fretilde at Said predetermined frequency, and quency, a second circuit connected directly between said a second fixed capacitor connected directly be- 7 first and third terminals consisting of a source tween said second and third terminals having a t of carrier signal and a second inductor conreactance magnitude equal to said given renected in series relationship with respect to each actance magnitude at said predetermined fre-V other, said carrier signal having a frequency quency, equal to said predetermined frequency, and aid a third fixed capacitor connected directly between second'inductor having a reactance magnitude 9 10 equal to said given reactance magnitude at said 2,696,530 12/54 Kerns 321-69 predetermined frequency; and 2,828,420 3/58 Suozzi 321-69 an output circuit electromagnetically coupled to said 2,995,651 8/61 Bock 332-47 first inductor to derive an output signal therefrom having a frequency different than said predetermined FOREIGN PATENTS frequency and said second frequency, said output 1,005,137 3/57 Germany. signal being produced by said signal voltage varying the capacitance of said variable capacitor. OTHER REFERENCES Wide Range Modulator, by L. Laczko; published in 19 IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, volume 2, No. 4,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED sTATEs PATENTS gf f i959; Pf D b 1,745,378 2/30 081108 323 43 cctuca Manufacturing, ccern er 1954, pages 83-88. 2,418,641 4/47 e 321-63 LLOYD MCCOLLUM, Primary Examiner. 2,565,799 8/51 Brattain 32375 2,632,833 55v Richardson 5 15 SAMUEL BERNSTEIN, Examiner. 

1. A BRIDGE CIRCUIT COMPRISING: A BRIDGE NETWORK HAVING A GIVEN VOLTAGE SENSITIVITY CONSISTING OF A FIRST TERMINAL, A SECOND TERMINAL, A FIRST CIRCUIT CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND TERMINALS CONSISTING OF FIRST AND SECOND REACTANCE MEANS CONNECTED IN SERIES RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND REACTANCE MEANS HAVING A GIVEN SIGN AND A GIVEN REACTANCE MAGNITUDE AT A PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY, AND A SECOND CIRCUIT CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND TERMINALS CONSISTING OF THIRD AND FOURTH REACTANCE MEANS CONNECTED IN SERIES RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, EACH OF SAID THIRD AND FOURTH REACTANCE MEANS HAVING SAID GIVEN SIGN AND SAID GIVEN REACTANCE MAGNITUDE AT SAID PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY; AND MEANS TO SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE SAID GIVEN SENSITIVITY OF SAID BRIDGE NETWORK CONSISTING OF A THIRD CIRCUIT CONNECTED BETWEEN THE JUNCTION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND REACTANCE MEANS AND THE JUNCTION OF SAID THIRD AND FOURTH REACTANCE MEANS CONSISTING OF A FIRST CONJUGATE REACTANCE MEANS HAVING A SIGN OPPOSITE TO SAID GIVEN SIGN AND A REACTANCE MAGNITUDE EQUAL TO SAID GIVEN REACTANCE MAGNITUDE AT SAID PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY, AND A FOURTH CIRCUIT CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND TERMINALS CONSISTING OF A SOURCE OF SIGNALS AND A SECOND CONJUGATE REACTANCE MEANS CONNECTED IN SERIES RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, THE SIGNAL OF SAID SOURCE OF SIGNAL HAVING A FREQUENCY EQUAL TOSAID PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY, AND SAID SECOND CONJUGATE REACTANCE MEANS HAVING A SIGN OPPOSITE TO SAID GIVEN SIGN AND A REACTANCE MAGNITUDE EQUAL TO SAID GIVEN REACTANCE MAGNITUDE AT SAID PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY. 